How Young Women are Selected for the Temple Square Mission

Changed Man May 2014

It's been awhile since I posted, but I'm still lurking. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this glimpse into the selection process for visitors-center missionaries, from a somewhat distant relative of mine who recently went through the process. FYI, she is very pretty.

Caution... gag-inducing descriptions follow:

"They say that VC [visitors center] training is way harder than normal missionary stuff so I'm up for the challenge and the long days of history class... something I thought I escaped from by leaving college but oh well! I found out the coolest thing about how visitors center calls are different than normal mission calls. So, we enter the system like everyone else and have our pictures pulled up in front of the 12 apostles and while usually they choose right there where you go, they just decide you will go to a "visitors center" and then set you aside. After they have gone through all the new applications, they come back to you and decide what specific VC mission you will go to. But it doesn't stop there, then they send you individually to President Monson and He has the last say approving if that is where you are going. I thought that was so cool! We were also talking to a teacher here that served in a VC and had the President over all the visitors centers and historic sites come speak to her about the selection process. He said "When it comes down to it, the one thing the first presidency and president Monson look for in the visitor center sisters is that they have the light of the Atonement in their eyes." How incredible is that? I feel so incredibly honored :)"

So, there you have it. Isn't it marvelous and inspiring that the church leaders take such a personal interest in picking the young ladies who will hang out on temple square with them?


scarecrowfromoz
Re: Missionary selection process for visitors-center missionaries
As if the 12 sat around and decide to assign where EVERYONE goes, as this implies, and as they are doing so, they set ones aside for the VCs.

A computer spits out the assignments. Some underling probably goes through and picks out profiles of cute members of say double the number needed for visitors centers with the proper ratio of those from the U.S., from Finland, from Japan, from South America, etc. and then sends them over to the 15.

At that point they probably look through them toss half out (or how many ever extra were sent over) and say these are the ones for the VC. Monson probably gets a review to add any he wants from those set aside.

So why do they need to have "their pictures pulled up" in front of the 15 as she said? Shouldn't they just just be able to decide who is worthy without looking at their picture?

"Light of atonement in their eyes." I wonder if that's a pickup line Monson used in his younger days? "You have the light of atonement in your eyes!"


spanner
Re: Missionary selection process for visitors-center missionaries
Creeeeeeeepy.

madalice
Re: Missionary selection process for visitors-center missionaries

This should put the parents of every mormon YW on red alert.
Really? Those old men are scanning pics of 18 year old girls to decide if they are SEXY enough to be in the visitor centers?

Anyone who thinks this has nothing to do with sex appeal, is an idiot.


Mormom Observer
Re: Missionary selection process for visitors-center missionaries

Bring them all out to Utah and let us have fair shake at deciding which ones to marry....or something to that effect was said of the returning missionaries of the 19th century bringing the converts home to Utah.

The Bretheran objected to the missionaries marrying the prettiest ones before they got to Salt Lake, so they came down on it with a policy of no marriage before they get to Zion.

The more things change, the more they stay the same......

the pretty ones get to serve in the visitors center.

Besides having a 'sweet spirit and a burning testimony' what in the world is the "Light of the Atonement" in their eyes??????


apples
Re: Missionary selection process for visitors-center missionaries

Heber Kimball set this precedent while a counselor to Brigham Young.

Save the pretty ones for the leaders.


Simon in Oz
Re: Missionary selection process for visitors-center missionaries

How utterly pathetic.

This needs to be more widely publicised. Clearly the Brethren don't want "sweet spirits" to be hanging around Visitors Centres.


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